Kat on Thyme

Breakfast Brownie

The great thing about being an adult is that you get to eat whatever you want. I don’t have to finish my broccoli, eat two more bites of chicken, or at least taste the split pea soup. And if I really want to, I can eat brownies for breakfast. And the truth is, there is little that tastes better in the morning with a cup of strong coffee than a brownie. And indeed, that’s what I’m having right now. Just one.

We all are at liberty to make our own choices about food. I try to buy organic and seasonal, I avoid trans fats, and only occasionally do I eat brownies for breakfast. Living in Seattle makes  these choices easy to accommodate. We are blessed with farmer’s markets, great natural foods stores, organic bakeries, community supported agriculture programs, and a populace who is willing to support them. I’d have a hard time giving up all of that good food freedom.

Poor Nick, my boyfriend who is deployed right now with the Marine Corps, for he has little freedom of choice about the foods he is eating. A choice between overcooked, canned corn, beans, or peas isn’t really a choice I’d like to be making. If you think about it, the choice of what foods you put into your body is one of the most important and personal of all choices. And it seems so very wrong to me to not be given the option of choosing a healthy diet- it’s like saying that I’m not important enough to fuel properly. And rather ironically, fuel is the root of the conflict for which Nick and so many other Americans are risking their lives. Most people pay more attention to what they are putting into their vehicles than what they are putting into their bodies. And perhaps a brownie for breakfast seems an irresponsible choice, but one brownie breakfast, once in a while is my choice to make.

And if it’s going to be a brownie, it’s going to be a good one. This recipe is adapted from the one on the Cook’s Illustrated website.

Chocolate x 3 Brownies

5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I like Callebaut)
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped 
½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into quarters 
3 tablespoons cocoa powder (I like Dutch processed cocoa)
3 large eggs   
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar   
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract   
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt   
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour 
1 cup toasted nuts, chopped (I used sliced almonds)

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13-inch rectangular brownie pan with nonstick vegetable cooking spray. Line it with a piece of parchment folded in half to cover the bottom and two of the sides of the pan. It should fit perfectly across the width of the pan. Spray parchment with nonstick cooking spray.

In medium microwavable bowl, melt the butter in the microwave. Stir in the chocolates and microwave at 50% power for about 2 minutes or until chocolates are melted. Stir occasionally until mixture is smooth. Whisk in cocoa until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.

Whisk together eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt in medium bowl until combined, about 15 seconds. Whisk warm chocolate mixture into egg mixture; then stir in flour and nuts with a rubber spatula until just combined. Pour mixture into prepared pan, spread into corners, and level surface.

Bake until slightly puffed and toothpick inserted in center comes out with a small amount of sticky crumbs clinging to it, 18 to 24 minutes. Cool on wire rack to room temperature, about 1 hour, then remove brownies from pan by sliding them out with the parchment paper as a handle. You may need to loosen the short sides of the pan by running a knife along the edge. Cut into squares and serve. (Do not cut brownies until ready to serve; brownies can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated up to 5 days.) 

Makes one 9 x 13 inch tray of brownies.

Tales of Cottontails

You might not realize that the Easter bunny starts his basket delivery rounds from the west side of Greenlake, just north of the ship canal, in Seattle. Or so the story goes. Auntie Kat always tries to make something special for her nephews, Alexander and William, for the holidays, and this year there’s a little story to go along with the Easter treats. I didn’t feel like making fancy cut out cookies so I made a variation of my favorite powdered sugar cookies, Russian Tea Cakes, and renamed them “Cottontails,” to suit the Easter holiday. And so begins the story of how the bunnies lost their tails…

Download the_tale_of_the_magic_cottontails.doc

And if it’s too late to collect cottontails in your neighborhood, here’s a recipe that’ll do just fine.

Cottontails
1 cup unsalted butter
½ cup powdered sugar, sifted
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon almond extract
2 ¼ cups flour
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup toasted coconut
About 1 cup extra powdered sugar for rolling, sifted

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light a fluffy. Add the vanilla and almond extract and beat again. On low speed add the flour, salt, and toasted coconut. Mix only until the dough comes together.

With a small cookie scoop, make 1 inch balls and place on parchment covered baking sheets. They don’t spread much so you can get 16 per sheet. Bake for about 12 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from oven and let set on the sheets for a few minutes. Roll the warm cookies in the extra powdered sugar and place on cooling racks to cool. Reroll cookies again before storing, if desired.

Makes about 2 dozen cottontails.

Cookies for the Corps

So I knew it wouldn’t be long before I had to start writing about cookies again. I didn’t mention that my cookie baking reputation has gone international. In the Pacific islands, Singapore, and soon to be Kuwait, I have fans. Well, perhaps that’s not quite true. My influence extends through the ready room of a small group of Marine Corps pilots who are floating around the world on a Navy ship, eating cookies, and defending our American freedom to eat cookies. My boyfriend, Nick, who is the intelligence officer for the pilots, is kind enough to share. And so my reputation for cookie baking has gone global. I guess there are worse reputations to have amongst a group of ship-bound Marines.

In a million years, I never thought I’d be dating a Marine. And I could say that he’s not a typical Marine but since he’s the only Marine I know, I’ll just say he’s not typical. I haven’t tied a yellow ribbon around the little pear tree out front, but I’m waiting, and baking, and writing letters and emails, and wishing for his safety. He’ll be returning in mid-August, (fingers crossed)  and I’ll be the happiest blogger on the web.

Meanwhile, I’m trying to keep his tiny stateroom filled with good things to eat, since the wardroom is most certainly not. He seems to enjoy reading about the delicious meals I prepare at work, although I would think it would only remind him of how badly he’s eating on ship. Seems that here in America we serve our poorest quality food to our school children, our sick in hospitals and institutions, our elderly, and the people who are out sacrificing their lives for us. It doesn’t make any sense. So if you know anyone overseas who might need a little care package, here are some things that I’ve been sending:

Cookies (ok, not the healthiest but good for morale)
Dried fruit and nuts
Trail mix
Beef or other jerky
Sugar-free gum
Hand sanitizers and wipes
Savory spreads and crackers (Trader Joe’s has a great selection)
Coffee and tea
Pictures
Magazines
Books
Seasonal goodies (an Easter basket in April)
Toiletries

And for packing, I’ve found the USPS flat-rate boxes to be the best deal. At $8.10, you can stuff them full without worrying about weight. And although you will have to fill out a customs declaration, the postage rate is domestic. And it’s surprising how much can fit in one box! I usually pack the cookies in Ziploc baggies with layers of parchment in between to keep them separate. Yet another good use for parchment.

So here’s an all-American favorite… a recipe for chocolate chip cookies that I’ve adapted from the infamous Neiman-Marcus (urban legend) cookie recipe that circulated the web way back when.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup butter (again, use the real stuff), softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla

2 ½ cups old fashioned oatmeal, measured and then ground in the food processor
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

1 bag chocolate chips
1 ½ cups nuts, toasted and chopped (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs and vanilla on medium speed. Combine the flour, ground oats, baking powder, and salt in a medium sized bowl and stir to blend ingredients. Mix them into the butter mixture on low speed.
Then mix in the chocolate chips and nuts.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a cookie scoop, scoop 12- 15 cookies on each sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes, rotating top to bottom and front to back half way through. When the cookies are golden, take them out of the oven. They should be slightly under-baked since they will continue to cook on the sheet. After the cookies have set-up- between 5 and 10 minutes- slide the parchment onto a cooling rack to finish cooling. When completely cool, they can be packed for shipping or eating!

Makes about 4 dozen good sized cookies.

Kat on Cookies

It seems that my first entry should be about something monumental, some grand feat of culinary engineering that will endear and impress any curious reader who might happen upon my page. And so it is. And it isn’t. For my first entry I want to write about the humble cookie. I’m sure this will be one of many entries about cookies. I love cookies. And they seem a universal love.

For all practical purposes, cookies are a simple dessert, more at home in a lunch box than on a restaurant menu. I have made thousands of cookies- rolled, dropped, spread, hand shaped, or cut. Cookies are my signature food, my offering for friends, my apologies for transgressions, my road trip companions, and strangely enough, once my tuition for a university class. The professor never said I could stay, but he never kicked me out either, and never complained about the Ziploc baggie of cookies tucked under the podium every week. Cookies are never a bad idea and always a welcome guest.

When I was sailing on tall ships, I was known as “Kat, the steward who makes THE COOKIES.” And when I graduated to making cookies for the privileged classes aboard luxury yachts, I prepared all sorts of fancy meals, and elegant plated desserts. Yet most often, people raved about the cookies. “Oh, the guava-glazed, key lime cheesecake was lovely, but the snickerdoodles were to die for!” Even the rich folks love cookies. And so it goes, I’ve developed a reputation for cookie baking.

This recipe that follows got me a job. It isn’t the first cookie that landed me employment, nor will it probably be the last, but indeed, this one’s never failed me. I showed up for my personal chef interview with my portfolio and a nicely wrapped box of chewy goodness and voila! A job that I adore. Here’s the recipe for THE COOKIES.

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

¾ cup unsalted butter (use the real stuff)
½ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 ½ cups unbleached flour
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa, sifted (Dutch processed- that’s a whole entry itself!)
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Cream together the butter and sugars. Add the egg and extracts to the creamed mixture and mix briefly on medium speed. Whisk together the dry ingredients and add to the butter mixture on low speed. Add the chocolate chips and mix to blend. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix again, just until incorporated. Drop with a cookie scoop, 1 dozen onto each sheet. Bake about 12 minutes rotating half way through. It’s kind of hard to tell when these cookies are done since they’re already brown. Look for puffed centers and a dry exterior. They are better slightly underdone than overdone. Let them cool on the sheet for a few minutes and then slide the parchment paper to the rack to cool. This recipe makes a little over two dozen if you don’t eat too much of the dough. The recipe came originally from the book Still Life with Menu by Mollie Katzen.

I’ve also varied it to make the following yummy kinds…

Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies: substitute orange oil for the peppermint extract, and add the zest of one orange with the butter and sugars.

Mexican Chocolate Chip Cookies: (these are actually the ones in the picture) substitute almond extract for the peppermint and add 1 to 2 teaspoons cinnamon to the dry ingredients. You could also add some chopped, toasted almonds if you like (maybe ¾ cup). I use baking powder instead of soda for this one since the pH is higher. We’ll talk more about that later…

I hope you enjoy the cookies and thank you for checking out my site. I welcome comments and suggestions!

P.S. If you’re feeling particularly indulgent, these cookies make amazing ice cream sandwiches- just squish a scoop of vanilla (or whatever flavor you like) ice cream in between two cookies and mmm! Pure deliciousness.